


feels like christmas

by finelineholland



Series: 12 days of rina <3 [2]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fake Dating, Merry Christmas!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:55:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28301955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/finelineholland/pseuds/finelineholland
Summary: “Anything.” she’d responded, and she meant it. There was little to nothing she wouldn’t do for Ricky Bowen, and she didn’t quite understand why. Maybe because the heart wants what it wants. Maybe because she allows the sheer amount of serotonin he brings cloud her judgement. But she’s never felt this giddy, this free. So she lets herself feel.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter
Series: 12 days of rina <3 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037127
Comments: 3
Kudos: 38





	feels like christmas

**Author's Note:**

> hi! so i wasn’t going to post this, but i finished a few days ago, so i figured i may as well put it out there for anyone who may want to read. 
> 
> due to recent events in the fandom and some revelations that i do not support, i will probably not be writing much more rina on this acc, but i hope you enjoy this!

Gina Porter is living a lie. 

Ricky Bowen’s hand is interlocked with hers, and she’s living a lie. 

His hand, calloused due to too many skateboarding accidents, healed scars and warmth filling her palm, his silver ring brushing against hers. Can silver against silver generate electricity? Because something akin to lightning is flowing into her arm and throughout her body, bolts of electricity buzzing within. 

Ricky’s hand is in hers. And she’s living a lie. But for some reason, it makes it feel even more like Christmas. 

The warmth in the air in the Bowen household has the tips of Ricky’s ears and his cheeks tinged pink, the same rosy shade that they turn when he trips over his feet during dance sequences in practice. Gina always found that cute, endearing almost. She decides that that shade of pink is one of her favorites, right next to the hazels and golds of his eyes. 

He leads her to the drink counter in the kitchen, where his dad has set up a hot chocolate bar of sorts, complete with marshmallows, peppermints, and shortbread cookies. 

“Thanks for coming,” he says, smiling down at her, that crooked grin that she likes to think is reserved just for her. “You really didn’t have to.”

“Hey,” she starts, nudging his side playfully as she releases his hand. She misses the warmth almost immediately, and inwardly scolds herself. “You asked for my help, so I’m here.” 

His fingers brush hers once more as they both reach for the cups. They brush again when he grabs a cup and hands it to her. She feels so stupid for being so sensitive to the subtlest touches. 

“Gina Porter,  _ my knight in shining dance sneakers.” _

“Actually, a female knight is referred to as a dame.”

“Why do you know that?”

“I know lots of things you don’t, Bowen. So, if I’m the  _ dame _ , does that make you a prince for the night?” He scoffs, but his eyes are shining, warm and bright. She wonders if they’re actually twinkling, or if it’s the reflection of the Christmas lights covering his house. Or maybe it’s all in her head. Maybe she just really likes him. 

“I’m not sure if I have what it takes to be a prince.”

“Sure you do,” Gina starts, tearing her eyes away from the stars in his, filling her cup to the brim with marshmallows (she sees him staring in her peripheral, and knows that he’s amused, probably prepared to say some corny line like “Is that enough hot chocolate for your marshmallows?”or something else endlessly charming), “You just stand there, look handsome, smile, and sign a few important documents. Maybe donate to a charity, take some pictures holding babies…”

“So what I’m hearing is… you think I’m handsome?”

He’s smirking now. The corners of his lips are tilted upward and she can see that hidden dimple in his cheek and his honey eyes radiate so much happiness. And it’s towards her. She fears her heart might be beating so loud that he can hear it.

“Yeah, in like, a sad stoner kind of way.” she jokes. He laughs softly.

“A  _ sad, stoner prince.  _ My country will be very lucky.”

“The  _ luckiest.”  _ She turns to face him, leaning against the table and bringing her cup to her lips, eyeing him over the rim. “But seriously- I wouldn’t have agreed to do this if I didn’t think you were handsome. I have a reputation to uphold.” She fills her voice with humor, hoping that the nervousness she feels isn’t painted across her face. 

But he grins as he plops peppermints into his cocoa, and she bites down on her lip to stop herself from grinning back like a dork.

“Wow. I’m reaching  _ Gina Porter _ standards? I’ve made it to the big leagues.”

“Congratulations.”

Their eyes meet, and the gaze is prolonged. Gina loves the way he looks at her, with something like affection. She imagines that it’s the same way she looks at him, wonders if he can see it in her eyes too. He says that she looks pretty tonight, makes a comment that if this were a royal family, she’d play a much larger role than a dame. She means too much to him for that title. He says that he couldn’t have asked for a better fake girlfriend. 

_ Right. Fake.  _

Gina Porter is living a lie. Ricky’s eyes are on her, tracing the curve of her jaw, passing over her lips and to her eyes again, and she’s living a lie. 

He’d said that he had a favor to ask, looking nervous and infinitely sweet, standing in front of her locker yesterday afternoon. 

_ “Anything.”  _ she’d responded, and she meant it. There was little to nothing she wouldn’t do for Ricky Bowen, and she didn’t quite understand why. Maybe because the heart wants what it wants. Maybe because she allows the sheer amount of serotonin he brings cloud her judgement. But she’s never felt this giddy, this  _ free.  _ So she lets herself feel. 

When he popped the question, asking her to fake a relationship, she wasn’t entirely sure how to feel. It wouldn’t be hard. She was a trained actress, after all. It also wouldn’t take much faking. But she so badly wanted it to be  _ real _ . 

He said his mom would be at the party. That the last time he saw her, at opening night, he wasn’t in the best place. He didn’t want her to think that she’d damaged him, made him incapable of love somehow. Because he wasn’t damaged or incapable, but he also had too much pride to show up alone, especially when Todd would be there, his arm around Lynne Bowen the entire night. 

If his mom could move on, he wanted to move on too. To prove that he was fine, despite her carelessness. Gina understood. She always understood. He’d wrapped her in his arms as a thank you, promising her a fun evening as he buried his face in the crook between her neck and shoulder. Her stomach flutters at the memory, at the intimacy of it. 

“Come on,” Ricky says, interrupting her train of thought. His hand slips into hers, almost like it’s a habit. Research says that it takes nearly 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. It’s been an hour and a half. Gina vaguely wonders how long this habit will take to break. 

They walk into the living room, stopping to speak to random family members and friends, ones who have known Ricky forever. Gina collects an arsenal of embarrassing childhood stories about the boy, her fondness only growing. One of his cousins tells her that this is the happiest she’s ever seen Ricky, and Gina can’t fight the blush that dusts across her face. Surely it isn’t true. He was with Nini, after all. But... what if it is true? What if it’s to do with her? 

_ Maybe she makes him just as happy as he’s made her.  _

They eat their Christmas dinner on the couch, watching The Grinch, on the living room tv (they agree that nothing beats the cartoon version). They’re sitting as close as physically possible, their shoulders and thighs pressing against each other. He’s warm, Gina notes, clad in his blue sweater. 

His mother and Todd sit in their view in the kitchen. His arm is around her, and she’s smiling at him lovingly as he speaks to Ricky’s grandparents. Ricky stiffens next to her. She watches as his jaw clenches, and his hands tighten around his plate. 

She places her plate on the coffee table and leans into him, placing her head on his shoulder. He turns his head to look at her, and she feels him become less tense. 

“Ricky?”

“Yeah, Gi?”

She adjusts her head slightly so she can look at him, his molten brown eyes and soft curls. “Everything okay?”

He sighs, setting his plate on the table before leaning his head on top of hers. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s just… you know.”

“I do know.”

And she truly does. She can see it in his eyes, in the way his voice develops a husky tone and his hands tremble slightly. Gina wraps him in a hug, her arms tight around his waist. He hesitates for a brief moment before throwing his arm around her shoulder, pulling her even closer. 

Ricky’s finger twirls around one of her stray curls as the Grinch’s heart grows three sizes larger. Gina shifts her head and plants the lightest kiss slightly above his jawline. She hears him inhale sharply. “I’m here, okay?” she says, her lips still brushing against his cheek. “Whether you want to talk about it or not, I’ll  _ always _ be here.” His arm seems to tighten when she says  _ always.  _

She lifts her head to gauge his reaction, and he only nods, his eyes admiring her as if he loves her, so much that she nearly forgets that they’re supposed to be faking. He returns the kiss to her cheek, before whispering “Always.”

It sounds like a promise. 

Gina thinks that her heart has grown three sizes as well. 

The Bowen family is a pretty decent size. Large compared to Gina’s, but small compared to Christmas at The Caswells. They sit in the living room and play games: Jenga, Uno, and everything in between. Gina’s favorite is the Gingerbread House Building Contest. They split off into teams of two, and try to build the most magical house imaginable. 

Ricky won’t stop eating the gumdrops, and his fingers are anything but steady. Normally, the perfectionist inside of Gina would be horrified at their outcome, but she can’t bring herself to feel anything but joy as Ricky places a dollop of icing on her nose. She gasps, and his laughter fills the air. It’s becoming her favorite sound. 

They end up having a full on food fight in the middle of the room, throwing candy canes and cookie crumbs at each other as his family ducks and dodges, protecting their masterpieces. She attempts to run into the next room, but he catches her from behind, arms around her waist, and spins her. His family looks on, and Gina sees a few smiles, but none quite as bright as hers. 

He places her down and turns her, and she can’t help but notice their proximity. She can feel his breath against her skin, warming her from the outside in. 

“You’re insane, Porter.” he says, hands resting gently on her waist. 

“Me? You started this!”

He smiles and it’s wonderful. She cups his face in her hands, wiping off smudges of chocolate and icing. That shade of pink appears across his cheeks again, and her grin grows even bigger. 

Gina glances over his shoulder at his family, still watching the scene. Her eyes lock with his mom’s, and she sends her a thumbs up, mouthing a “Thank you.” Gina isn't 100% sure what the thank you is for, until she looks back to the boy in front of her. At the pure happiness that covers the canvas of Ricky Bowen. She’s the painter. 

The food fight soiled her Christmas sweater, so she spends the remainder of the night in his hoodie. He sports a similar one, a red version of the green one she borrowed, and she teases him for having two hoodies that are nearly the same. They look like Christmas threw up on them, and it’s  _ disgusting _ .

She  _ loves _ it. She insists that they take a picture. 

They sit on the porch swing and wait for Gina’s ride to show up (EJ, of course). The wind picks up and she shivers, prompting Ricky to shift closer to her. She shifts closer as well. 

“I had a lot of fun tonight.” she says, sending him a small smile.

“So did I. Thanks again. For everything.”

“You thank me too much. It’s not a big deal, really. I’m a _dame in shining dance sneakers_ , remember?”

He laughs softly, and his hand inches closer to hers. 

“I don’t think you are a dame, though. You shouldn’t have to be. I’ve experienced friendships and relationships that were one sided. I want to be there for you too.”

She nearly tells him then. That nothing about tonight has been anything close to fake. That what she feels is so real that it consumes her. That before she met him, there was no one who understood her, no one who truly cared. 

Whether he knew it, whether it was intentional, she didn’t know. But Ricky Bowen taught Gina what it felt like to be  _ loved _ by someone who wasn’t her mother. Is that insane? He’s never said that he loves her. Never even said that he  _ liked  _ her, really. But the way he looks at her, the way he holds her in his arms… it reminds her of what love looks like in the movies, in all the novels she’s read. The love she always thought was too good to be true. 

He has been there for her in more ways than he knows. 

Gina’s phone buzzes in her pocket.  _ “Five minutes away”  _ reads the text from Ash. Gina wasn’t aware that she was riding along. 

“They’ll be here in 5 minutes.” she tells Ricky, trying to keep her disappointment out of her voice. He smiles a sad little thing, closing the distance between their hands and squeezing her fingers slightly before helping her to her feet. They walk towards the porch stairs, hand in hand, when the front door opens. 

It’s his parents. 

“Oh,” Mike starts, a friendly smile spreading across his face. “Are you leaving already?”

“Yes. My ride will be here in a few minutes. Thank you for having me; everything was great. And it was nice to see you again, Mrs. Bowen.”

Lynne smiles affably, the corners of her eyes crinkling in the same way Ricky’s do. “Nice seeing you as well. I’m glad that you were able to come. I think that you make  _ someone  _ very happy.” 

Ricky ducks his head to his chest, and Gina can’t stop herself from grinning. She swings their interlocked fingers between them. 

“Well…  _ someone  _ makes me very happy too.”

He glances up at her, eyes soft under his thick lashes. She hopes he can see the genuineness across her features. 

“We’ll let you two say your goodbyes,” Mike says, ushering Lynne back towards the inside of the house. Before he closes the door completely, he sticks only his head out and smirks. 

“Also…  _ look up _ .”

Gina tilts her head in confusion before glancing towards the ceiling of the porch. Lo and behold. Green leaves of mistletoe. As if this evening wasn’t corny enough. 

She looks at Ricky, and he’s bright red. She nearly laughs at the sight. 

“We don’t have to- you know- um. Dad’s just teasing. And he thinks we’re like  _ together  _ and… yeah. Sorry.”

“It’s okay, Ricky. Calm down. It’s no big deal,” Gina laughs, facing him and taking his other hand in hers. “It’s a silly Christmas tradition. I’m not gonna be scared off by a bit of mistletoe. We don’t have to, obviously, but… I’m cool with it. If you are.”

He glances toward her lips, and her stomach is in knots awaiting his response. That silver-on-silver electricity shoots through her body once again. 

“I’m cool with it too.” His voice is no more than a whisper. 

“Cool.”

“Cool.”

He starts to lean in, and every part of Gina fills with anticipation. She closes her eyes, waiting to feel his lips upon hers. She can feel his breath fan across her lips when a car horn sounds, startling them apart. 

Gina whips her head towards the street, and sees a grinning EJ, holding his hands up in defense as Ashlyn scolds him from the passenger seat. He notices Gina and waves, mouthing a “Sorry” that she knows isn’t genuine. She supposes it’s some sort of sick payback for her accidentally disrupting his and Kourt’s movie date last week. She grimaces, flicking him off. He laughs. 

She glances up at Ricky, the tips of his ears on fire. His hands are shoved in his pockets as he rocks back and forth on his feet. 

“I guess you should… get going.”

“Yeah. Um. Yeah. Goodnight, Ricky.”

“Goodnight, Gi.” 

He walks her to the street, opening the door and letting her inside. He waves at EJ and Ash, him still snickering quietly and Ash smiling sympathetically. Gina lets down her window, and Ricky rests both forearms on it, that same soft gaze landing upon her despite his brief state of embarrassment. 

“Call me when you get home?”

“Of course.”

She leans in closer to the window. She can see the streetlights and the moon reflecting in eyes. He smiles at her, and it’s crooked and happy and real and she can barely resist the urge to kiss it off of his face right then and there. 

“I’ll see you on New Years-”

Ashlyn gasps. EJ stammers. It happens so fast that Gina doesn’t quite remember how she did it. Just that she couldn’t help herself. 

But she’s leaning ever so slightly out of the car window, and her lips are on his. It’s a brief little thing, barely any pressure behind it, but the butterflies in her stomach erupt anyway. She pulls away quickly, but his hand cups her jaw, bringing her in for a second kiss. It’s a bit longer, a bit sweeter. His lips taste of peppermint and hot cocoa, and the butterflies transform into something warm, like the holiday spirit. 

She smiles against his lips, and he returns it with a smile of his own. 

“Definitely a fan of mistletoe.” he sighs, and they both erupt into a fit of giggles, the joy of the night filling them with love and cheer. Their eyes lock, and Gina brings her hand up to trace his brow, his cheekbone, his jawline, his cupid’s bow. Prime prince material, she decides.

He brushes his nose against hers, and she prepares to kiss him again, only to be slammed into the back of her seat when the car takes off. 

“EJ! What the hell?!” she exclaims, looking out of her window to see a startled Ricky receding into the winter night. 

“I’m not gonna sit here and watch you make out with some random guy in the back of my car!”

“We weren’t- He- It’s not a  _ random guy!  _ It’s  _ Ricky!” _

“My God, Gina, that’s even worse!”

“You could’ve run over his foot!”

“He would have lived.”

_ “Elijah-” _

“Aht, aht, aht. Don't go using my government name on me. You deserve this. Me. Kourt. Cheetah Girls 2.”

“You can’t expect me to stay in my room when you’re watching  _ the best _ Dcom of all time! If Chanel tells me to strut, I’m gonna strut!” 

Gina huffs and sticks her head out of the window, squinting to see Ricky in the distance. He’s still standing there, waving his arm in the air. 

“Gina!” he shouts, “I’ll Facetime you, okay?”

“Okay! Text me first though! I’ll have to make sure I’m not busy beating EJ’s ass!” she responds, and hears the guy scoff from the driver’s seat. Ricky’s shoulders move like he’s laughing, and she can almost hear it, light and airy in her ears. 

She blows him a kiss and he catches it, pressing it against his lips. It’s like she can feel it, hers tingling in response. When they turn the corner away from his street, she sinks low into her seat and sighs almost dreamily. Even her annoyance at EJ can’t wipe the dopey grin off her face. 

“When did you two become a thing?” Ashlyn asks, turning in her seat to look back at the lovestruck girl. “You never told me you made it official!”

“We didn’t.” Gina mumbles, and she realizes that it’s true. 

Gina Porter was living a lie. But Ricky’s hand was in hers. And his lips were on hers. And what started as a trick, as a false statement, is beginning to feel more and more true. 

Gina’s phone buzzes in her lap. It’s a text from Ricky. 

**What are the chances of one sad, stoner prince seeing a certain princess before New Years?**

_ Princess? That’s quite the honor. _

**Dame wasn’t very fitting. I knew that you were something more. I think I just needed a little time to figure out exactly what.**

_ Hm. A princess who occasionally saves the prince’s ass. I think I can live with that.  _

**I’m glad. So…?**

_ Time and place. I’ll be there <3 _

As Gina shuts her phone off, looking out the window at the passing Christmas lights, she thinks that in a way, her prince has saved her too. 

_ Maybe happily ever after exists after all.  _

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: i know little to nothing about the british honours system so please correct me if google and i are incorrect :) thanks for reading!


End file.
